Two years from today, we will be 20 days past the expiration of our current contract. That means in about 19 months we begin negotiations. In 16 months, we will send out bargaining surveys and build our bargaining team. It may sound far away, but it will arrive fast.

Keep reading for updates on how we are preparing now, Hospital Staffing Committee news, grievance progress, and what we have planned for Nurses Week.

If you were here for the last round of negotiations, you will remember what it took to win the gains we secured. You also know there is still more to fight for. We are determined to be ready for the next contract campaign, and that work starts long before we reach the bargaining table.

Building Power Before Bargaining

We are increasing the Union’s presence throughout the hospital. We have already held two in-person meetups, and we will continue gathering on the first Tuesday night of every month. Tomorrow night, we will also hold our second night shift rounding from 2300 to 0100.

We also continue cafeteria time on the first Tuesday of each month from 1115 to 1300. These are your opportunities to ask questions, hear updates, share concerns, and get involved. Strong contracts are built by engaged nurses.

We are also strengthening our Union Steward program. Next week we will be training stewards at the WSNA Leadership Conference in Wenatchee. After that, we will begin rolling out steward infrastructure across the hospital.

That means unit-level support, stronger contract enforcement, and more resources for nurses on every floor and every shift.

The next contract fight will require all of us. Solidarity is not a slogan. It is how we win.

Hospital Staffing Committee Updates

We finally have an updated HSC charter.

The charter was due for review in May 2025, and we have pushed for nearly a year to get it completed. The new charter reduces the committee size from 36 members and 36 alternates to 24 members and 24 alternates, with equal labor and management representation.

In agreement with SEIU, WSNA will hold 9 of the 12 union seats.

We also secured language ensuring that union RNs must support any staffing plan changes affecting union nurses, consistent with our contract rights.

We continue demanding unit-level staffing data at HSC. Management continues to resist providing it. Without meaningful data, the committee cannot fully do its job. We will keep pushing until the committee gets the information it is owed.

Overall, we are optimistic these changes will streamline HSC operations and make it easier to reach quorum and take action.

The next HSC meeting is 5/6/2026 from 0800 to 1000. We encourage everyone to attend and observe. This committee belongs to all of us.

Grievance Updates

We have seen real movement on several long-standing grievances, including:

• Pediatric resource premium pay
• Shift differential when using PTO
• Education hour eligibility based on hours worked, not just FTE
• Additional compliance issues

Management is currently working with compensation to implement changes, and we are hopeful to share positive outcomes soon.

We also have multiple Hospice grievances pending over unilateral management changes, including:

• Ending excess-of-shift overtime
• Failure to pay preceptor pay for cross training, including NTL training
• Denial of shift swaps that do not create overtime

The EOS grievance will be heard this week. The preceptor pay grievance has advanced to arbitration. We are working toward a settlement on shift swaps. Stay tuned.

If you believe the contract is being violated, reach out to a board member or Nurse Rep Jared right away. Grievances have timelines, and early action matters.

Nurses Week 2026

This Nurses Week, we want St. Joe’s nurses to have a chance to treat themselves during chaotic and uncertain times.

From 5/4 through 5/8, we will hold daily prize drawings packed with great giveaways. To keep things fair, drawings will be split between day and night shift. Evening shift nurses will be divided evenly between both pools. Off-shift nurses will be placed in the pool that matches the majority of their hours worked.

We will be giving away:

• Eight $10 Cruisin’ Coffee gift cards every day
   (four day shift, four night shift)
• Two daily featured prizes
   Each includes a $10 Cruisin’ Coffee card plus a $50 gift card to a local business
   (one day shift, one night shift)
• Two grand prizes worth $500 each for the week

Each grand prize includes:

• $250 gift card to the Chrysalis Inn & Spa (usable at the hotel, restaurant, or spa)
• Gift cards to local restaurants
• Additional surprise items

More details are coming soon.

Good luck, take care of each other, and don’t forget to treat yourself.

In solidarity,
Laura Bayes, Co-Chair
Amber Pouley, Co-Chair
Jenn Engelhart, Co-Secretary
Laura Sherwood, Co-Secretary
Tracy Pullar, Treasurer
Stacy Gaggia Libby, Grievance Officer
Celeste Montoy-Seimears, Membership Officer
Tracy Taylor, Membership Officer
Kristin Malmo, Communications Officer
Kelly Carroll, Communications Officer
Errin Hull, Co-Occupational Health and Safety Officer
Jessica Moran, Co-Occupational Health and Safety Officer

Questions? Contact WSNA Nurse Representative Jared Richardson, jrichardson@wsna.org.